Electrical connector plug



United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR PLUG Howard 0. Kuehn, Emmaus,Pa., assignor to Rodale Manufacturing Co. Inc., Emmaus, Pa., acorporation of Pennsylvania Filed Jan. 29, 1958, Ser. No. 712,032

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-62) My invention relates to electrical connector plugssuch as are used for detachable insertion in a convenience outlet, andmore particularly relates to plugs having a body or casing made of softflexible rubber-like material.

It is well known that prongs in an electrical plug which are forced-fitwithin cooperating recesses of a soft rubber casing have a tendency tobecome misaligned as a result of hard usage and rough handling which theplug necessarily encounters. Misalignment of the prongs from a verticalplane as a result of twisting or lateral movement thereof not only makesfor uncertainty in proper electrical contact but also frequently makesimpossible the insertion of the plug into a female receptacle. Thiscondition in the past has occurred in both two and three prongconnectors.

It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide an electricalconnector plug wherein the prongs thereof will remain in properalignment in a vertical plane without becoming misaligned as a result ofabuse.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for positivelypositioning prongs within a male type electrical connector having a softrubber body.

Another object of my invention is to provide a male electrical connectorplug, having a soft rubber body, whereby prongs forced-fit therein willbe secure from twisting movement without the use of rivet or screwlocking means.

Another object of my invention is to provide a male connector withprongs which are capable of being applied and removed instantly from asoft rubber female electrical connector but which are rigidly maintainedin position when inserted.

Other objects of my invention are to provide an improved device of thecharacter described, that is easily and economically produced, which issturdy in construction, and which is highly efiicient in operation.

With the above and related objects in view, my invention consists in thedetails of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fullyunderstood from the following description, when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an electrical connector plug embodying myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along linm 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view showing the prongs prior to insertion withinthe casing.

Fig. 5 is a modification of my invention wherein a projecting eareliminates the tilting or twisting of the prong when it is riveted tothe body of the quick detachable plug.

a 2,965,870 Patented .Dec. 20, 19 0 rubber-like material, and aplurality of prongs, generally designated as B, for force-fitpositioning therein.

The rubber-like body A is of conventional molded construction having acentral bore 10 therein through which the lead wire or cord passes. Thelower portion of the body is recessed at 12 as shown and defines aninterior shoulder for supporting the longitudinal positioning of theprongs B. Blind slots Hand 16 extend parallel to the hole 10 on eitherside thereof substantially normal to the surface recess 12. Adjacenteach of the slots 14 and 16 is a circular hole 14a and 16a respectivelyfor accommodating the projection of the customary lead wire screws. Eachof the contact prongs B are of identical construction and only one willbe described. The prong B has an outer end 30 for making electricalcontact with a cooperating female receptacle terminal as is usual in theart, and a body penetrating portion 32 having lateral barbs 34 on eachside thereof and coplanar therewith. Intermediate the outer andpenetrating portions is an integrally formed wire receiving ring 36which is twisted at right angles to the plane of the prong and defines ashoulder for bearing against the recessed surface 12. Oppositelypositioned from the wire receiving ring 36 and coplanar with the body ofthe prong is a projecting ear 38 which cooperates with the wirereceiving ring 36 and the side walls of the recess 12 to prevent theprongs B from twisting after insertion within the respective slots 14and 16. The wire receiving ring 36 has a tapped hole for accommodatingscrew 37 and a lip 40 which interfits with a complementary relievedportion of the periphery of the recess 12. It is also to be observedthat a relief 42 is provided in the penetrating end 32 to enable airpressure expansion as the prongs are pressed into their respective blindslots 14 and 16.

In assembling the plug, prongs B are positioned relative to the body Aand by forcing the penetrating portion 32 into a respective blind slot,the barbs will engage snugly therein. When thus positioned the wirereceiving portion will engage the shoulder surface 12 in a flat positionand the combination of the wire receiving ring 36, its lip 40, and theprojecting ear 3-8, will prevent the prong from twisting within the slotbecause of the resistance offered by the peripheral walls of the recess12 to the projecting ear and wire receiving portion. The prongs are thuscapable of being applied and assembled almost instantly but are rigidlymaintained in position when secured as described herein.

In Fig. 5 is shown a plug prong, generally designated as B2, which has areceptacle engaging prong 30 which has a body 44 that extends at rightangles to the outwardly extending prong 30. The body 44 lies upon therecessed surface 12 and an opening 46 enables a holding drive screw (notshown) to pass therethrough to enable the prong to be fastened to thebody A.

A wire holding screw 37 is adapted to retain one end of a lead wire andis located at one end of the body 44 and at the other end 38B of thebody 44 is the projecting ear portion which will prevent the prong 30fromtilting or twisting. The free end 38B and the body 44 preventtwisting of the prong in both a vertical plane or in a horizontal plane.

Although my invention has been described in considerable detail, suchdescription is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting,since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of theinvention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim:

An electrical connector plug comprising a substantially solid, resilientbody, a front face on said body, a recess in said front face, a centralbore extending through said body, said bore intersecting said recess atthe central area thereof, said recess having a pair of oppositelydisposed pockets, each pocket being provided with an elongatedextension, said extensions extending at'opposite angles 'to each othertoward the outer periphery of said body, an opening in each of saidpockets, a pair of slots in said body, each of said openings beingpositioned between a corresponding extension and a corresponding slot,said slots being substantially parallel to each otherand positioned oneon one side and one on the opposite'side of said bore, said slotsintersecting said recess, aprong secured in each of said slots, each'ofsaid prongs having a portion extending outside of the corresponding slotand forwardly of the front face of said body, each of said prongs beingprovided with an internally threaded wire receiving ring extendinglaterally therefrom, each of said rings being twisted into an ofisetposition relative to its 15 2,231,

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSLieberum July 5, 1932 Reutter Feb. 11, 1941 1. M a A

